Tag: Islamophobia

Yle’s coverage of the Oulu sexual assault cases is an example of overkill and Islamophobia

Posted on by Migrant Tales

THE STORY WAS UPDATED

How would you describe Yle’s coverage of the Oulu sexual assault cases? From November 27 to February 13, the state-owned broadcaster published a whopping 77 stories on the topic. This is not counting all the other stories that the tabloids and other print media published during that period. 

On January 14, Yle published 13 stories about the topic.

Considering the hype, victimizing and labelling of migrants and Muslims, few if any members of these communities are interviewed in these stories.

Apart from the media, the police put out 11 statements between December 1 and February 13.

On top of all this hype and attention, the president, ministers, members of Islamophobic and anti-Muslim parties like the Perussuomalaiset,* Blue Reform, and the National Coalition Party throwing dirt on Finland’s Muslim community with statements like “how poorly they understand our values.”

How many suspects are we speaking of in Oulu? About 15? Finland’s Muslim community is estimated at 70,000-100,000. That means that the suspects make up  0.02%-0.15% of the total Muslim population of Finland.

Let’s make one matter clear: sexual assault is unacceptable as the #metoo campaign has brought to light. Even so, the reaction by Yle and others raises an unsettling question: Are we make a huge deal about this because the suspects are “people of foreign origin,” a code word meaning non-EU citizen and/or Muslim. Is public outrage as strong if the suspects were white Finns?

Pinning the blame on Muslims and migrants for what happened in Oulu is keeping our eyes off the ball and finding ways to challenge sexual assault cases.

Some questions I would ask is what is the role of the police and social workers in allowing such sexual assault cases to happen in the first case? They did happen on their watch. Is it easier to pin the blame on the migrant and Muslim community instead?

The coverage and hype in Finland about these sexual assault cases are best described in two words: overkill and Islamophobia.

Coverage by Yle of the Oulu sexual assault cases during November to February:

November  (1 story)

27.11. Poliisi tutkii Oulun Tuirassa epäiltyä kahden alaikäisen …

December (37 stories)

3.12. Poliisilla on lisää epäiltyjä alle 15-vuotiaan tytön törkeästä …

3.12. Oulussa tapahtuneen alaikäisen tytön raiskauksessa lisää …

4.12. Oulussa esiin tulleet epäillyt nuoriin kohdistuneet …

Continue reading “Yle’s coverage of the Oulu sexual assault cases is an example of overkill and Islamophobia”

Ministers Petteri Orpo and Kai Mykkänen are geniuses in migrant integration. Not.

Posted on by Migrant Tales

THIS COLUMN WAS UPDATED

As a sociologist and anti-racism activist, I was not surprised by the banality of Finance Minister Petteri Orpo’s and Interior Minister Kai Mykkänen’s model to better integrate and do away with migrant crime. The answer? A test!

Even if this is not mentioned by these National Coalition Party (NCP) ministers, Finns also commit sexual assault crimes. Many of them brought up in the Finnish education system but some still commit sexual crimes.

Kokoomus, or the National Coalition Party, is the second-most anti-immigration party in Finland after the Perussuomalaiset-Blue Reform* parties.

Aren’t these types of statements “about informing asylum seekers about our values” a bit fishy with parliamentary elections just around the corner in April? These types of catchphrases are only another chapter in the language used by politicians to support and fuel Finland’s hostile environment against migrants and minorities.

I sent Tuesday an email to the Police University College, which forwarded it to the Oulu police.

My question was simple and one that nobody appears to care to ask: Why is it important for the police to mention that the suspects of sexual assault are “persons of foreign origin?”

As we all know, “a person of foreign origin” is code for a non-EU citizen, Muslim and/or asylum seeker.

More cases

Continue reading “Ministers Petteri Orpo and Kai Mykkänen are geniuses in migrant integration. Not.”

Facebook Soldiers of Odin: Now you see it but not all of it because something is missing

Posted on by Migrant Tales

After Facebook temporarily shut the far-right Soldiers of Odin site, it is back up but the violent video the vigilante group posted is no longer there. 

Below is a short history of the Soldiers of Odin video. How “starting pedophile hunting season” ended their hunting season on Facebook.

The video originally posted on the vigilante group’s Facebook page. It is no longer there.

The police reacted to the violent video. It tweeted Monday: “Threatening acts of violence on the Internet and patrolling streets don’t improve public safety.” Read the police statement here.

Now you don’t see them…

 

…now you see it again but without the video.

Facebook Soldiers of Odin: Before you saw it, now you don’t

Posted on by Migrant Tales

It worked! I don’t know if it was because of me, and I am certain that many complained to Facebook about a far-right Soldiers of Odin posting. The video threatened acts of violence about how the pedophile hunting season started. 

A masked vigilante in the video warns: “Pedophiles and raunchy [asylum seekers/migrants?] hey, welcome to dating with us, we guarantee that dating is memorable! And hey, don’t worry, we don’t call the police. [Then the speaker approaches the camera in a threatening manner with a club in his hand].”

The police published the following tweet below: “Threatening acts of violence on the Internet and patrolling streets don’t improve public safety.”

 

Read the police statement here.

 

Before you saw it, now you don’t.

See also: Facebook Soldiers of Odin: Asylum seeker and migrant hunting season have kicked off…

Facebook Soldiers of Odin: Asylum seeker and migrant hunting season have kicked off…

Posted on by Migrant Tales

Far-right vigilante group Soldiers of Odin want to take the law in their hands by hunting pedophiles. After a bla-bla-bla Finnish macho rant, one of the vigilante members takes a club and starts threatening suspected “paedophiles,” which is a word used to mean asylum seekers. The masked vigilante warns in the video: “Pedophiles and raunchy [asylum seekers/migrants?] hey, welcome to dating with us, we guarantee that dating is memorable! And hey, don’t worry, we don’t call the police. [Then the speaker approaches the camera in a threatening manner with a club in his hand].”

Remember when these types of vigilante groups started to appear in Finland in 2016? One of the conditions that the police gave to such vigilante groups was that they cannot take the law in their hands.

It is not the first time that the Soldiers of Odin have used weapons in their posts.

I have notified Facebook administrators about this post that encourages violence.

The PS is a far-right, populist party that hopes to strike election gold with the sexual assault cases of Oulu by migrants

Posted on by Migrant Tales

Imagine a political party that jumps for joy when migrants are suspected of sexual assault like in the case of Oulu. Imagine a party that taps into voters’ Islamophobia, xenophobia and hatred to get votes. Imagine a party that aims at relegating migrants and minorities to second-class members of society with the help of lies and fake news. 

It should not come to any surprise that we are talking about the far-right Perussuomalaiset* and Blue Reform, which split from the mother party in 2017 after Jussi Halla-aho was elected the new chairperson. Halla-aho was convicted in 2012 for ethnic agitation and breaching the sanctity of religion.

The difference between the PS and Blue Reform is that the former has come out of the closet with its racism while the other one is in the closet.

According to the Helsingin Sanomat, the PS plans to cut state spending by 2 billion euros if they are in government.

Halla-aho said as well that he sees the PS becoming Finland’s largest party.

 

Read the full story (in Finnish) here.

While the PS becoming Finland’s largest party is a pipe dream, the PS’ constant vilification of migrants and minorities only serves to tell us that we are not liked by some. But that is fine because it is a call for people who oppose such rhetoric to rise up and challenge its racist ideology.

Apart from ending subsidies to the wind power sector, the party wants to lower social welfare costs to people of immigrant origin by 1 billion euros.

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Exposing Finnish white privilege #60: Oulu, OULU! Awaken and sniff the racist coffee

Posted on by Migrant Tales

Apart from the minors who were the victims of Oulu, other casualties are Finland’s migrant community and especially Muslim asylum seekers and refugees.

Anti-Hate Crime Organisation Finland

If the structure does not permit dialogue the structure must be changed.

Paulo Freire

THIS STORY HAS BEEN UPDATED

The hysteria generated by the sexual assault cases of minors in Oulu is a reminder of Finland’s issues with racism. The clarion call to hostility by the Oulu police, politicians, the media and public is disproportionate: A whole system many times more powerful is bullying groups of people who are vulnerable and much smaller.

What we are seeing in Finland today in light of Oulu is white racist Finnish privilege at its hostile worse. That knee-jerk reaction is taking us to dangerous waters. What is the endgame of the labelling and victimization Muslims and migrants? Is it more violence and social exclusion?

Even before anyone is brought to trial, even before we have discussed thoroughly the causes and solutions of a social problem like sexual assault, state-run Yle, which represents and are our faint voice in Finland, is at it again with a new story victimizing migrants, especially Muslims.

The story’s headline is provocative: “We investigated why visits to childcare centers and schools were seen as a threat and other reasons as well.”

By the way, not one migrant or minority was cited in the story.

Read the full story (in Finnish) here.

The picture of a child on a swing in the story is in equally poor journalistic taste.

The aim of the story? To justify the ban even if the police does not see any dangers in such visits.

If I were writing the story I would ask the following questions:

Continue reading “Exposing Finnish white privilege #60: Oulu, OULU! Awaken and sniff the racist coffee”

WARNING RACIST CONTENT: Helsingin Sanomat survey exposes the DNA of Finland’s racism

Posted on by Migrant Tales

THIS STORY HAS BEEN UPDATED

Helsingin Sanomat’s survey published on Monday after another questionable story on “model immigrants” was widely criticized on social media as outright racist. Even so, I would like to thank Finland’s largest daily for exposing the DNA of Finland’s racism and the continued low caliber and racism of its journalism on topics related to asylum seekers and migrants. 

The latest survey, the daily does not cite any sociologists or other experts and gives a clear picture of Finland’s racism without the daily taking any stand on the issue. Instead, Helsingin Sanomat cites as an “expert source” Perussuomalaiset (PS)* chairperson, Jussi Halla-aho, convicted of ethnic agitation and breaching the sanctity of religion in 2012.

One of these sources that were not cited is Gavan Titley, a University of Helsinki docent in media and communications.

“These poll questions are so badly constructed they would fail a first-year research methods module,” he said. “Given that they are constructed by a professional polling company, and a national newspaper, we can only assume that this bad method is deliberate. In other words, HS has decided to gain publicity, hits and clicks by shit-stirring about ‘migrants’ in an already tense situation. Debating this strategy, of course, only amplifies it – the only response is to cancel your subscription and tweet to them why you are doing so. There has always got to be some cost for this crap, no matter how minimal.”

As long as the media continues to see Halla-aho as an “expert” on migration issues, the ongoing debate will regress into a swamp of hearsay.

Here are some of the questions the survey asks:

  • Do you believe that the main factors for sexual assault crimes hinges on the migrants culture and religion? 65% answered in the affirmative;
  •  Politicians have done enough to awaken Finns to the news about the sexual assault cases (in Oulu by asylum seekers). The far-right PS were the most critical and believed that politicians had not done enough to raise awareness;
  • The best way to thwart sexual assault crimes is to tighten laws (26%); educate foreigners on Finnish laws and values (19%); lower the number of residence permits granted on humanitarian grounds (10%); and lower migration in general to Finland (10%).

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Warning: Islamophobic content – schools and daycare centers in Oulu to temporarily ban visiting rights by asylum seekers, refugees

Posted on by Migrant Tales

Here is a story you would never expect to read in a country like Finland, which bases its values on social equality, human rights and mutual respect. The decision to ban asylum seekers and refugees from visiting schools and daycare centers in Oulu due to the suspected sexual abuse cases raises a lot of questions. 

Writes Yle News: “Mika Penttilä, the city’s Head of Education and Cultural Services, said the decision was driven by parental concerns. ‘We have agreed with the organisers that no such visits will take place at the moment. People have approached us about these visits to find out whether they pose a security risk,’ he said.

Penttiläs cites “parental concerns.” Does this mean that in the future I can exclude whole groups that are innocent from going to schools and daycare centers? Can I exclude white teenage Finns because they have participated in school shootings?

One of these questions that the decision by the City of Oulu raises is if it isn’t outright racist to exclude whole groups due to the suspected crimes committed by a few people who have the same religion or come from the same country?

It is not only racist, in my opinion, but outright counterproductive. What we are witnessing is another tragic chapter of the racist history of this country.

A question: If an asylum seeker becomes a resident, can he or she visit schools and daycare centers? Why doesn’t the City of Oulu show an ever bolder racist face by banning all Muslims from going to such places? That is what they are really saying, right?

If you want to know what it feels like being singled out and banned from society, why not ask Finland’s 10,000-strong Roma community.

If the racism that the Roma suffered before impacts their lives today, imagine the harm city officials and society in general cause on Muslims in Finland with the ban.

We know from the Oulu police, politicians and city officials that they have gone to great lengths to racialize what happened in that city.

Do they understand, never mind care, how their actions impact Finland’s Muslim and migrant community?

We have heard that matters are in such a questionable state in Oulu, in great part by the statements of the police and politicians, that Muslims avoid going to the city center at night. Why isn’t anyone bringing up this issue?

Read the full story here.

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Islamophobia and xenophobia on steroids: Jussi Halla-aho’s latest column in MTV

Posted on by Migrant Tales

The Islamophobic Perussuomalaiset (PS)* chairperson, Jussi Halla-aho, convicted of ethnic agitation and breaching the sanctity of religion in 2012, is a columnist for television station MTV. Two matters emerge when skimming through his latest column: The media is part of Finland’s racism problem; and the PS is the first modern Finnish party to capitalize exclusively on immigration, especially Islamophobia.  

Another MTV columnist, Ivan Puopol, is in the same anti-immigration league as Halla-aho.

Both of them have one aim in their writing: Immigration is a problem but Muslims are even a worse problem.

When reading their Islamophobic opinions, one asks what is their end game?

If they want to make migrants and minorities feel hated and socially excluded, then that could be an aim of their writing

Will they be able to kick migrants and Muslims out of this country? Will they succeed at keeping Finland white?

In light of their racist worldviews, they will fail because Finland is becoming more culturally diverse, not less.

Our writing should concentrate on how to gain a louder voice and more power in Finland.

Unfortunately, too many Finns, like Puopol and Halla-aho, believe that their privilege and power is eternal.

 

Read the full text here.

* The Perussuomalaiset (PS) party imploded on June 13, 2017 into two factions, the PS and New Alternative, which is now called Blue Reform. Despite the name changes, we believe that it is the same party in different clothing. Both factions are hostile to cultural diversity never mind Muslims and other visible minorities. One is more open about it while the other says it in a different way.

A direct translation of Perussuomalaiset in English would be something like “basic” or “fundamental Finn.” Official translations of the Finnish name of the party, such as Finns Party or True Finns, promote in our opinion nativist nationalism and racism. We, therefore, at Migrant Tales prefer to use in our postings the Finnish name of the party once and after that the acronym PS.